Reinforcement structure and process for reinforcement of a panel element

A method for stiffening a sheet element (7)

• comprising:
• provision of stiffening modules (5) comprising a flange (9) and a web (11)′,
• connecting the stiffening modules (5) sequentially along a load path on the sheet element (7), wherein the stiffening modules (5) are connected via their respective flanges (9) to form a stiffening structure (3), such that the stiffening modules (5) have a combined effect, specifically stiffening and reinforcing the sheet element (7) along the load path,
• wherein the load path for the sheet element (7) has been determined in a topology-optimized manner on the basis of at least one of a stress-optimized simulation or calculation, and wherein the load path is not rectilinear with respect to a surface plane of the sheet element (7) and does not extend in a straight line along the sheet element (7), but has at least one change in direction within the surface plane of the sheet element (7).